Books : It's Superman!

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Rating:

- Real Title: It's Everybody But Superman!
Up front let me make myself clear, I'm a big Superman fan. I've been one for as long as I can remember. I have every Superman comic, novel, etc. published in my lifetime (50 Years). This book is not about Superman or Clark Kent. They are secondary characters in this story. Yes, it begins and ends with Clark Kent, but everything between page 1 through page 425 was one of the worse written novels I've ever read and I have read quite a few bad novels. As I got near the end of the book I kept hoping something was going to happen. Nope, never happens. Clark's parents were supposed to be the salt of the earth type people. They never really teach Clark anything. They die a hollow death having never really taught Clark anything. The book is also quite anti-christian or maybe it's just religion in general. This is particularly out of place since Superman has so much in common with Christ. Lois is a woman with very loose morals, in fact besides her eyes the author gives no good reason why Clark would even be interested in her. Lex Luthor, don't even get me started on him, he's never even remotely a threat to Superman. Luthor never plays any important part in this story even though there are a lot of pages devoted to his henchmen and women. (Who freakin' cares! They are introduced, do a lot of nothing and then kill each other)
The author also likes to try and impress us with his knowledge of historical figures, but like the character of Clark Kent/Superman he really needs to do his homework. Get your facts straight or don't use them. Just throwing out names without real purpose is just a waste of the printed page. I can't say it enough, if you're interested in reading a good Superman story DO NOT READ THIS BOOK. In truth I'd go so far as to say in the 50 years of Superman literature I own and I own a lot. This is by far the worse. It will go into my collection and gather dust. Once again this book is awful. Buy it only if you need to complete your collection of Superman collectibles. Do yourself a favor though, don't waste your time reading it. Being set in the 30s this book should/could have great. Maybe a real author will visit this time period again. We can only hope!

Rating:

- It's Not Smallville
Perhaps the Smallville series ruined the book for me. Television always has a way of predisposing us to accepting a certain version of the story. The most clever aspect of this novel is the flavor the 1930s, and that's what makes it worthwhile. The author did a great job of incorporating American culture from that period with the story. His writing style, especially near the end of the book, is good. He also put some new twists on Superman as a flawed hero, almost comical as he finds his footing in the world. This is a better book for die-hard Superman fans concerned with the mythology of the hero, but for others it may be second-rate to the several television, movie, and annimated versions. If this is the first in a series, then look for some added staying power as the new Superman movies hits the screen.

Rating:

- Something new...
I bought this book due to the fact that I am a huge Superman fan and I usually by anything that has to do with the character. I own a lot of Superman books and I think that I have gotten the chance to read about half of them. This one I felt the urge to read as soon as I had bought it and was glad I did. It is a refreshing and new spin on the character that I haven't seen before. The setting and the addition of some great supporting characters made this a very entertaining read that I was sad when the story was over.
I especially liked the fact that it took place back in the time when Superman was originally created. It was a nice change of scenery. I hope the author writes a follow up to the book so we can see more adventures of the Superman coming into his own.

Rating:

- A good read
Not the most important or interesting story in the Superman literature, but fairly original and extremely entertaining. Lots of fun.

Rating:

- Interesting retelling of the origin...
I'm not just just the biggest comic geek you're likely to meet, I'm specifically a huge fan of Superman, and so I was thrilled when my girlfriend gave me this new novel by Tom DeHaven for Christmas. It's Superman is the latest retelling of the origin of the Man of Steel, and this latest retelling takes the character back to where he began -- the 1930s and the Great Depression. Opening up with Clark Kent as a teenager in 1935, the story show him as his mother dies, he gets mixed up with a photographer from New York who has been framed for a murder he didn't commit and slowly begins to decide to use his mysterious powers for the benefit of others. DeHaven does a really strong job of recreating the character in his original Golden Age context, although the book is filled with more modern sensebilities -- commentary on race relations, for example, which fit the character very well. At times he fills young Clark with a bit more angst and self-doubt than longtime fans (myself included) may be comfortable with, but overall it's a really strong read and a really original contribution to the Superman legend. Definitely recommended.

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